


High Hopes More Cooking

by Goldstone_Wolf



Series: High Hopes Low (Blank) [60]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), High Hopes Low Rolls (Web Series)
Genre: Baking, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cooking, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Food mentions, M/M, baking mentions, lots of food mentions, oh look it's not angst, or cooking mentions, tws for:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:15:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26400046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldstone_Wolf/pseuds/Goldstone_Wolf
Summary: Paddy and Malark make more food together for no other reason than just I wanted them to do exactly that.
Relationships: Malark Dundragon & Paddock "Paddy" Whitlaw & Brio (High Hopes Low Rolls), Malark Dundragon/Paddock "Paddy" Whitlaw
Series: High Hopes Low (Blank) [60]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692196
Kudos: 9





	High Hopes More Cooking

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BubbleDramatically](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubbleDramatically/gifts).



> I am so fricking tired right now and I honestly want to lay down and take a long, long nap. Also a fluffy fic because yes. I wanted to put “All of Me” by John Legend into “High Hopes Wake Me Up When September Ends” but then I realised it didn’t fit and I could make it work somewhere else. So here you go, here’s another fic. I want to stop existing.  
> Let’s jump into this before I’m too tired to do anything else.

“Paddy, I think I’m doing this wrong.”

Turning away from pouring chicken broth over the chickpea mix he’d been making, Paddy saw that Malark was standing with his hands awkwardly above the food. Walking over, he took Malark’s hands in his and laughed, replying, “You’re fine, Malark. You just need to spread it out.” Resting his chin on Malark’s shoulder, he demonstrated and said, “See? Like that.”

“Oh.” Laughing awkwardly, Malark mumbled, “I guess I’m just being an idiot.” Paddy leaned in and kissed his cheek. He went back to spreading the ingredients they were using out onto the baking pan, wincing whenever he thought he was doing something wrong. Meanwhile, Paddy went about stirring the chickpea mix and took a breath. The air smelled of rosemary and garlic and cooking meat, in the nice way. _Definitely a good idea, I’ll have to tell Terra about this._

It was an easy dinner, rosemary garlic porkchops with chickpeas mixed in. Nothing he would have a hard time with, and it smelled great to top it off. Looking at the little herbs that Ava had brought over a while ago and left in the windowsill, Paddy couldn’t help but smile and then glance back at his boyfriend. The poor guy—Malark was clearly worried about messing up, even though all he needed to do was to spread the pumpkin cranberry bars around into the pan and then put them in the oven. “You’re not an idiot.” Walking over, Paddy kissed him again and then added, “You’re just having a bit of a hard time. You can put that in now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yup.”

Paddy went back to the pork chops, keenly aware of Malark putting the bars into the oven again. The mix was currently broiling, and he put a _tiny_ bit more parsley in the broiler. They had about ten, maybe twelve minutes until the porkchops were finished, and then another ten to thirteen until the bars were finished and they had to put on the frosting. _I can probably leave it in the microwave to keep it warm,_ he mused, stepping back for a brief moment. “Uh…Paddy?” Turning, he realised Malark was staring at him in that adorably confused way he sometimes was. Like when they were younger and neither of them had any idea that their crushes were mutual. It had been an odd time for everyone (and infuriating for everyone else. It seemed everyone knew that Malark and Paddy were gay for each other except for Malark and Paddy themselves).

“Yeah, Mal?”

“Uh…I can’t remember.” Face flushing a little, Malark indicated the rest of the ingredients for the frosting on the counters. “Should we start making that now?”

“Probably. Put the butter in one of the larger saucepans, medium heat.” Indicating, Paddy went back to checking on the porkchops before turning back to his boyfriend and leaning around him to grab one of the larger bowls. It wasn’t much of a stretch, especially since he still had some of his old-days carnival skills. While he went about beating confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and a decent amount of milk together in the bowl, he noticed Malark staring at him out of the corner of his eye. “What?”

“I keep forgetting you’re capable of doing that. How long am I going to do this?” He asked, and Paddy paused before glancing at the recipe where they had it on the counter.

“About five or so minutes. If it turns this sort of golden brown colour, then it’s fine and you can pull it out then.” Malark nodded like Paddy had given him some incredibly sage advice and then turned back to the saucepan. Pausing in his work to check on their dinner, Paddy turned on the radio and then grabbed a bag of chopped cranberries that they had left out. They may as well sprinkle some onto the finished product, after all.

The beautiful first piano keys of John Legend’s “All of Me” started coming through the speakers, and Paddy smiled and started humming along to the tune. Dimly, he could hear Malark do the same, albeit with more pauses and a lot more hesitance. Golden sunbeams played through their kitchen windows, and he took another breath of the herb-woven air.

As he closed his eyes for a brief moment, he felt hands land on his hips and Malark pulled him close. “Oh! Hi!” Turning in his boyfriend’s arms, Paddy let out a soft laugh as Malark leaned in closer. Without his trademark mask, things were a little…odd, but it wasn’t something Paddy would trade for the world. “Hey. How’s the butter doing?”

“It’s fine.” Holding Paddy closer, Malark smiled shyly and then stepped back. _Oh, nope, you are not doing that._ Paddy grabbed his hand gently and pulled him back in, kissing him. The moment was short and sweet, unfortunately interrupted by the sound of Malark’s phone timer going off. Breaking apart, Paddy shot a pouting look at the offending device as his boyfriend walked over to turn it off and remove the butter. “What do I do with this?”

“Put it in the bowl with the other ingredients. We’ll have to beat it again.”

“Like MarioKart or Smash Bros?” Laughing, Paddy kissed his boyfriend’s cheek, checked the recipe, and then went about doing as the paper said.

“Check on the porkchops, please. I think they’d be about done by now.”

The porkchops were, in fact, done, and the pair sat down to eat for a few minutes. The pumpkin cranberry bars were finished a few minutes later, and Paddy went to go and put them on a wire rack to cool. “So does this mean that I’m the redstoner and you’re the builder in the relationship?” Malark asked, and Paddy shot him a look.

“Have you been watching Minecraft videos again?” When his boyfriend shrugged, Paddy let out a laugh and set the pumpkin bars aside. He went back to the table and sat down casually, watching the timer he’d left on the oven. “So…what do you want to do tonight?”

“Uh, I think the answer is pretty obvious?” Paddy shot him a look, and Malark continued, “Pillow fort and movies? Hopefully Brio doesn’t pop up again.”

“Excuse you!” They both whipped around to see Brio glaring in at them through the window. Immediately, Paddy started to get up, but Malark reached over and grabbed his arm.

When Paddy glanced his way, Malark leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Let me. I still need to get some revenge for what she did last time.” Paddy grinned and sat back down, and Malark went over to the window.

It wasn’t that they didn’t love their friends, and it wasn’t that Brio wasn’t one of said friends. It was just…bad timing. (And thankfully Malark probably couldn’t hurt the little goblin if he tried.)

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted cute gay fluff so I wrote it, don’t judge me. Also, I want to learn how to make these now, although I guess maybe the pumpkin cranberry bars would be a good idea for when I go to college. Have to impress my friends somehow, right?   
> Also, once my brother sang “All of Me” at a camp about his doughnut. Fun times. Don’t cook and sing and dance when there’s fire around, kids, it’s not safe. I had no idea how to end this, so…here comes Brio again.  
> Thanks for reading, and y’all are loved and appreciated and awesome and amazing! Hope to see you in the next fic!  
> Now, into the fray once more!


End file.
